Short Cuts

Schmooze or lose

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October 01, 2001

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts October 2001
October 2001
Short Cuts:Schmooze or lose

The room is humming with unfamiliar faces who
all seem to know each other. Your palms are sweaty and your tongue
is, well, refusing to cooperate. What to do? Tell yourself you're
not the only one who feels uncomfortable, take a deep breath and
relax, says mingling maven Susan RoAne (www.susanroane.com),
whose best-selling book, How to Work a Room: The Ultimate Guide to
Savvy Socializing in Person and Online (Quill), was recently
updated and re-released as a three-hour audiotape (Audio
Renaissance).

The key to mingling effectively is knowing how to approach
someone, what to say and when to move on. "Before entering the
room, have at least three things ready in your mind, so if you get
stuck, you have something to talk about," advises RoAne, who has
spoken extensively on the art of networking and successful
communication.

Other tips: Wear your name badge on the right lapel, come armed
with business cards, do not pepper people with questions or hand
out brochures, smile often, reveal a little something about
yourself (but nothing too personal), and move on gracefully with a
polite yet warm handshake. Above all, RoAne adds, "Don't come more
than 15 minutes late to an event, because groups will already have
formed, and you'll be the outsider trying to get in on an
established conversation."

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